Highschool of the Dead: The New York Files
by Irv 182
Summary: The deadly virus is spreading all over New York! Can three friends find a way to survive? Original Characters, please R&R!
1. Anthony's Intro

(Disclaimer for the Series: I don't own any part of the High School of the Dead franchise. Any of the characters seen in this story belong to me, and I reserve all the rights to them.)

**Chapter 1: Anthony Ramierez**

It had been like any other day for Anthony. He had worked the night before, came home and finished his homework, finally getting to fall into his soft bad at a little past 12. Anthony had felt as if he had only slept for a couple of minutes, waking up at 7am to get ready and catch the bus for school. He wore what he usually wore, a simple button up shirt and a muscle shirt underneath, along with his usual blue jeans. Since it was baseball season, he would also be packing an extra 25 pounds of gear, bring his baseball bag along with his book bag, am aluminum bat, a pair of mitts, one lefty and one righty, his baseball uniform, and a few unimportant things in his sports bag.

Just like the day before, Anthony scrambled to catch the bus, making to the stop right as the bus pulled up. Along the way, Anthony noticed that there were quite a few wrecks that forced the bus to take an alternate route. They actually had to drive through Times Square to reach the school, half the students sticking their heads out the window to try and be caught in the cameras of some of the early morning news shows. They arrived about ten minutes late, most of the students happy that they could show up late to class and have an excuse to cut the class any shorter. It was during first period that the incident occurred, the end of Anthony's dream and life as he knew it.

Since he usually had no first period class, Anthony usually used it to relax and get some fresh air, especially now, since it was the day of their first baseball game. He had snuck up to the top of the school, finding it as one of the best places to get a deep breath and above most of the noise from the big apple. Just as he arrived on the roof, he heard that blood curdling scream from about 3 floors down, one that would make even the toughest and most hardened man feel a tinge of fear for what caused it. Rushing to the edge, he saw it, something that made him fall backwards from edge of the guard railing and back on to warm cement of the buildings roof. Down below, one of the guards that watched the entrance of school was being attacked by another person, but it was strange, it seemed to be clawing at him, like a junkie would at someone with-holding their drugs.

But something wasn't right, rushing back to the edge, Anthony saw that the person was digging their face into the guard's stomach...like it was trying to eat him. Another guard rushed to fallen friends side, giving the seemingly drugged person a powerful kick to the stomach, sending it flying to the ground a couple of yards away. Kneeling down, the guard pressed his fingers to the other mans neck, or that is at least what it looked like to

Anthony from the height he was at. His head dropped and he moved away from the body quickly, grabbing what looked like a walkie talkie and rushing to the booth that the guards were stationed. As he entered, something strange happened...the fallen guard sat up, looking both ways, as if he was confused. From the distance Anthony was at, he couldn't quite make out the extent of the injuries the guard had sustained, but from the stains around his now rising body, he had lost massive amounts of blood.

Stumbling towards the station, the guard appeared woozy, most likely from blood loss. At about 5 yards from the other station, the second guard rushed out, surprised yet happy that his partner was still alive. As he moved to his injured partners side, the unthinkable, no the unbelievable happened. Just as he was putting his head under the injured friends arm, the injured guard wraps his arms around the unwitting guard's body and takes a huge bite out of his neck. "ARRRGHHHH!!!!" The man screamed, only to have a second bite taken out of him at the leg, the druggie now having snuck up behind him at a crawl and bitten the man in the back of the leg, just below the knee. Falling to the ground, the guard was now being chewed upon by both the druggie and the injured guard, only spazing a few times before going limp.

"Oh...oh...my...go-god." Was all Anthony could say, falling to his side as he began to hurl, nauseous from the gruesome display he had just witnessed. The main courtyard was empty of students, but from inside the school he could hear screams, most likely from those that had seen it through the windows of the classes. It was then that an announcement came over the PA system, one that would send the entire school into a panic. "ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS, WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY SITUATION OUT FRONT OF THE SCHOOL AND WE ARE GOING INTO AN OFFICAL LOCKDOWN STATUS. WE ASK THAT YOU.....BZZZT....WAIT.....WHO ARE YOU....NO....STAY BACK!!!! *SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS* NO!!! GET AWAY!!! HELP ME....AGGGHHHH!!!! *SOUND OF WET CHEWING SOUNDS*" His bag still on, Anthony crawled to the door, his stomach still doing cartwheels from the grisly sight. Little did he know that this was only the beginning the hell he was about to face.

Anthony grabbed the door knob and yanked it open; only to be greeted by what looked like one of the schools teachers. Anthony jumped back, scared shitless by the sudden sight of someone appearing on the other side of the door. "Oh my god... S-Sir!! We have to...*cough*...call the cops, the guards down stairs were attacked and someone is in the school." The man only shuffled forward, giving a slight groan as he made his way up the steps and onto the roof top. Anthony noticed the large tear on the man's right sleeve and what looked like a lot of blood, though it had appeared to have dried by now.

"Sir... are you okay?" There were only a few feet between them, Anthony sliding off baseball bag to lighten the weight on his shoulders. The teacher finally raised his head from its slumped and hung position, revealing something that terrified Anthony even further. His mouth was stained with blood, still wet and glistening on his teeth and lips. "Oh my god…" In an instant, the teacher became almost vicious, his groan turning into a hungry growl, lunging at Anthony who was still in a stat of shock. Luckily, the baseball bag was still in his hands, and instinctively, Anthony raised it to block, or at least hold the deranged teacher at bay. It snapped and bit at Anthony, who was strong enough to keep it held back, its teeth gnashing and trying to sink into Anthony's flesh. That's when Anthony felt it. The feel of warm leather, wrapped around cold, hard alumnium.

The handle of his baseball bat was sticking out of the bottom of the bag. He reached with his left hand , pulling the bat out quickly. _"Push and pull then."_ Anthony thought as he shoved the zombie as hard as he could, sending it reeling backwards with the bag still in its hands. With the bat held up between him and the bloody teacher, Anthony issued the man a warning. "Mr. Monroe… please. Just slowly step backwards and head back down the stairwell, I don't wanna hurt you." The man stumbled forward again, now his hands reaching out, groping for the air for Anthony's warm flesh. He knew he had to stop the man, but wasn't going to kill him, or he didn't plan on it.

Feigning a run to the left, Anthony spun to the man's right, drawing back the bat, then swinging it down, the air being displaced and creating a soft swishing sound. The bat slammed into the teacher's left leg from the side, hitting it at the knee. A sickening crack came from the point struck, the teacher's leg buckling with a now shattered fibula. Anthony took a step back, his face a bit pale, almost disgusted with himself for doing such a thing. But then he heard it, the cracking of bones, the teacher trying to stand himself up on the trashed leg. Mr. Monroe continued to crawl towards Anthony, forgetting the broken bones and showing no sign of feeling any pain. "Stop, please...don't make me do this."

Anthony hit the railing, his middle back no pressed against the wall as it continued towards him, blood dribbling from its mouth, as if it were drool. Now terrified, Anthony did the only think he could think of. Raising the bat above his head, Anthony swung down, the head of his bat aimed at the crawling man's skull. There was a sickening thud as the bat meet with flesh and bone, blood splattering the ground around him and his clothes. Falling back, Anthony hit the low cement guard wall, and rose up to his now seated back. The man wasn't moving anymore. The strike had been hard enough to squash the brain, but Anthony didn't know that it was the only way to put one of "them" down. His knees against his chest, Anthony began to think, his mind racing and trying to figure out what was going on. It was only seconds later that a breathless and sobbing girl was on the other side of the roof top barrier. He recognized he instantly. "M-Marie!? Is that you? Here, gimme your hand." He said to the girl, reaching his hand over to her.


	2. Marie's Intro

**Disclaimer:** I don't own High school oft the Dead. If I did… this friggin' hiatus wouldn't have occurred. Thankfully... I do own Marie. And the rest of the cast.

**Chapter 2: Marie Arquette**

Marie had kept herself busy in the Home Economics classroom that morning, trying to arrange the ingredients she'd be using for an experimental dish. Her chopping board was chock full of varieties of food. There was pork (for the main meal), coconut cream, hot chili peppers, turmeric and a few other things. While preparing her dish, she spent time thinking of how she came to be here in this school, when she was an orphan. _It's odd, really_ she thought to herself. The restaurant she was working at financed her education, and through her sheer hard work and dedication she was able to skip several levels and study with people her age. She was very grateful for that.

She was julienning the pork while sautéing onions in hot oil, and smiled a little. She wanted to bring the dish she was making to the children at the orphanage. "We rarely get to have pork there..." she said aloud. She continued with her cooking, until she heard a school announcement broadcasted in the hallway. "ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS, WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY SITUATION OUT FRONT OF THE SCHOOL AND WE ARE GOING INTO AN OFFICAL LOCKDOWN STATUS. WE ASK THAT YOU.....BZZZT....WAIT.....WHO ARE YOU....NO....STAY BACK!!!! *SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS* NO!!! GET AWAY!!! HELP ME....AGGGHHHH!!!! *SOUND OF WET CHEWING SOUNDS*"

At first she thought it was a joke, or rather a gimmick for the upcoming school festival, but when she began to hear screams echoing just outside the room, followed by inhuman grunts. She was so frightened by all of this, that she instantly stopped what she was doing. Shock was the first thing that would register in her mind as the door to the room burst open and three students entered the room covered in fresh blood.

Marie backed away slowly, suddenly afraid, as she backed up to an open window. Terrified out of her wits, she jumped out the ground floor window and looked around. From the garden just opposite the room she came from, more students appeared. And they were headed straight towards her. She quickly looked around for some way to escape, but it looked like there was no hope for her. She looked upwards as if to pray to God she'd be fine, and then she noticed it: the fire ladder.

She grabbed the fire ladder and climbed all the way to the roof as quickly as she could. All she wanted to do was escape. She didn't know if it was a joke or a horrible prank on her, but they scared her enough to force her to run. It looked so real… but she didn't know how real the situation was until she saw the view from the rooftop. At the sight, tears welled up in her eyes and she began to sob uncontrollably.

She managed to calm down a few minutes later, yet her heart was still racing and her were eyes blurry from all the tears. A boy approached her and said, "Marie!? Here, give me your hand." She looked up and through the tears managed to see that the person was none other than Anthony Ramirez, the kind-hearted senior who, along with a boy from her grade, Joshua Weber, had once saved her from a horrible prank played on her by the popular girls._ At least there was still one person in the school who was kind._ She reached up for his hand and held on to it as if it were her last link to humanity. And in so many ways, he could be. She struggled a bit while trying to stand up and her knees nearly gave way; it was just through the strength of Anthony's hand that she could properly get on her feet.

She looked around the roof once she was up, and noticed the pool of blood on the floor. It led to a man crumpled up on the rooftop, his face shattered by an unseen blunt object… perhaps it was a bat? She knew that Anthony was on the baseball team, after all. Just staring at the corpse made her heart begin to beat fast again. It felt like at any moment it could leap out of her chest. Slowly she turned to Anthony, and suddenly notice in his hand was the weapon that had missing from the scene: the bloodied steel bat. She struggled to get loose from his hand, but they were too strong for her to pry off, yet at the same time, felt very gentle.

"A-An-Anthony… wha-what's going on here?" Marie stuttered. It seemed like a nightmare. One that she thought was just another sick practical joke, somehow turned into a bad dream. Something that has just become real. She began to feel lightheaded, as if she could no longer keep her feet on the ground. But she kept herself up on her wobbly feet, dizzy and disoriented. That was when she heard another boy's voice ring out in the silence on that lonely rooftop.

"Hey… uh, what do you think these guys are?"


	3. Joshua's Intro

((**Disclaimer:** I don't own High school of the Dead. I really wish I did... because I can guarantee you Komuro would be a certified pimp. But Joshua, the last of my characters so far, is mine. So I'm copy righting him.))

_**Chapter 3: Joshua Webb**_

It was the Bottom of the ninth... he had a perfect game... and it was Game Seven of the World Series. And Joshua was on the mound. He was the undisputed ace of the New York Mets, and number one Candidate for the Cy Young. He threw the pitch with all his might, when his alarm clock went off. He suddenly woke up. This dream was a reoccurring one to him. And every time it ended the same way: with no ending. It angered him. After a bit, he hopped out of his bed and quickly got dressed.

He walked into the kitchen, and put some toast into the oven. He then turned on the TV. Josh missed the Met game last night because his cousin Brandon was pitching for the Diamondbacks. He was a good role model. "... Santana pulled out a huge win for the Mets, pitching 8 innings and fanning 12. There were also back-to-back home runs by Bay and Wright to seal the victory." the reporter said. Josh smiled. "So both the Mets and Brandon won? Thank god..." he said, happily. The toast was done, and Josh quickly grabbed them, and headed off to school. "...And in other news, a serial killer is said to be loose in New York..."

Josh made it to school with enough time to practice for the big game today. He probably wouldn't pitch, but Right Field was good enough for him. On the way to the roof, he texted Anthony, who was the Team Captain:

_Aww man! I can't wait for our season opener! I'm heading up to the roof, so can we have a little catch when I get there? See you!_

He closed his phone, and walked into the school. There was a strange man following him a bit behind. He turned around, and looked at the man. He was creeping slowly toward him, limping. "Hey, you! Creepy guy in the sweater vest! You okay?" he shouted to the man. He didn't answer. Josh pulled a baseball out of his pocket. "Okay, seriously… you're starting to creep me out." The man didn't stop. He kept on walking, his mouth covered in crimson stains. "Okay then, you asked for it..." Josh wound up, and threw a pitch at the psycho. It was a breaking ball, a slider, which cracked the side of his head. The impact caused his head to twist, turning about 110 degrees. The man halted his advance. "Sorry dude, but you asked for it..." Josh said. The man just grabbed his own head, and twisted it back with a sick cracking sound. "Oh no way..." Josh said in disbelief.

Josh was able to get a look into his assailant's eyes, only to see what looked like an empty void. They were milky white, and there were various blood stains on the man's sweater vest. The man snarled, and approached Josh in a speed that was a bit faster than before. Josh backed into a row of lockers, and noticed a sign of salvation right next to him: a fire extinguisher. He elbowed the glass, shattering the cabinet and pulled it out of the extinguisher. Holding the handle in one hand, the body with the other, he readied himself for an attack.

The man screamed this time, and charged at Josh. Winding up, he then smacked the man in the jaw. The man spun in the air, and fell to the floor. Josh knew that this wasn't over. The man got up again, and the extinguisher cracked on the man's temple. His eyes popped for their sockets, and the man nearly bit his own tongue off. He fell, and Josh started to breathe heavily. He then fell to the floor, and began to vomit.

He wiped off his mouth, and went over to where his baseball fell. He picked it up, and looked at it. It was covered in drool and blood. Grossed out by it, he walked over to the corpse and wiped the ball off on the man's sweater-vest. _This area isn't safe,_ he thought to himself. He turned around slowly to see if there were anymore psychopaths in the area. Luckily, there weren't any. He then made a mad dash for the stairs, and began to head up. Everyone on the next floor was either screaming or attacking the others, so Josh decided to go up higher. Josh headed up another flight of stairs. It looked exactly the same as the second floor. He then headed up the last flight to the roof, only to see another dead body. Luckily for him, there were two familiar faces up there as well. And both of them were unscathed. It was his dear friend Anthony and their good friend Marie. He looked at his friend Anthony and suddenly said to him, "What do you think these guys are?"

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**(( Author's Note: **I know… My chapters have been getting smaller and smaller. But I promise you, the next one I'll try to make at least three times as long as this one.**))**


	4. Reunion

((**Disclaimer:** I don't own High school of the Dead. You can tell, because it hasn't been updated FOR TWO WHOLE YEARS!! Joshua, Anthony, and Marie all belong to me.))

**((AN: Chapter two was sort of a mess… hehe. The character of Anthony was originally named Vincent, so if I do put that, it's because I'm thinking about how it was back when the fic was still an idea…))**

_**Chapter 4: Reunion**_

"A-An-Anthony… what… what's going on?" Marie stuttered. Before Anthony could reply to Marie, he heard footsteps coming up the stair well to the roof. Stepping in front of Marie, Anthony blocked her from view, his hand still gripping hers while his other was occupied by the bloody bat. The early morning sun didn't reach down into the thin stair well, making it dark and shadowing Joshua's figure until he stepped into the light. As Anthony recognized who it was, he expected the worst, Joshua looking at the corpse then to Anthony and then to the blood spattered bat. "What do you think these guys are?"

Anthony gave a sigh of relief as he eased his grip on Marie's hand and the bat's handle. "Not friendly, that's for sure." There was no comedy in Anthony's voice, he was a little shaken and his stomach still stirred by the event that had just taken place. "But I'm guessing that when you say 'these', you mean that you met at least another guy like him, right?" Joshua nodded quietly at Anthony. Anthony then courageously moved towards the corpse and touched his bare wrist, only to be a little shocked at what he felt.

"Whoa… Josh, the human body has what, like a natural temp of 98.6 Fahrenheit? Mr. Manson feels like he's well below that. His skin is really cold and clammy. It has to be at least 10-15 degrees lower than usual. That would he must've had to have been seriously sick." Anthony moved over to the other side of the body, and began to exam the bite mark he had noticed during the fight.

It was at this point that all three of them began to hear loud, horrifying screams coming from inside and around the school. The group headed for the railing and looked over the side, only to witness things that no living person should ever have to see. Panicking students and faculty were rushing from the infested school to the safety of their cars. Few of the runners would actually make it to their cars, only to be torn from their vehicles by more of… 'Them.'

"They're......eating them.......eating them alive..." Marie gasped, staring down at the parking lot with widened eyes. She closed her eyes, and got down into the fetal position. The thoughts her life up until came rushing into her head. Compared to now, her life as an orphan had been like a virtual paradise. Her tears were spent and she shook inside.

Joshua's face went pale, and he swallowed. "Either this is some sort of creepy horror movie being filmed, or we're stuck in a world parallel to that of Resident Evil." he said, half-joking. But from what he could see, all of this was real. The blood... the monsters… the fear. He shook his head. "None of these people stand a chance... I doubt anyone we know is still safe."

Joshua's hands were shaking violently due the terror below. In hope of some sort of salvation he thrust one of his hands into it respective pocket, searching for something. A few seconds later, he pulled out a package of gum. He quickly jammed a piece into his mouth, hoping that it would somehow clam his nerves. The three of them were safe for now, but what next? Die here on the roof, waiting for help to come? Staying here was just as bad as fighting those...those things below them. At least in fighting, their deaths would be quicker.

But now was not the time to become negative. Two of his good friends were able to survive the invasion. He walked over to Marie, and crouched down to meet her eye-level. "Listen... everything will be okay. We'll make it out of here, I promise." he said to Marie, handing her a stick of gum. Marie just smiled back to him, and took the gum. "Thank you, Josh."

As for Anthony, he decided to take the initiative and began to barricade the roof's entrance. Placing his bags against it, Anthony turned back to Marie and Joshua, his bat still in hand and with a reassuring smile on his face. "I think we should wait up here until things calm down a bit, alright? And as for the body… let's just keep our hands off of it. We don't know what he has, or how we could get what ever it may be."

"B-but what are we going to do next? Are there other people still around? Maybe... maybe we can still save some... friends?" Marie asked Anthony. He shook his head at her, almost guilty. "Marie… it's a little to dangerous to try that. I'll try to call the cops instead, and see if we can get them over here," he said to her, taking out his cell phone. After a few minutes on the phone, he threw it in anger at the ground, shattering it into pieces. "Guys, it says that every single line is busy... I tried it like four times. As for now… we're on our own."

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**_((AN: _**I know I did promise more than I've been givng you guys lately, but I couldn't think of much as of lately. I kinda expected more from myself, because there were three people interacting. But atleast I'm consistent... right?**_))_**


	5. Officer Revis' Intro

((**Disclaimer:** I don't own High school of the Dead. But hey, at least they're releasing an anime while we wait! Joshua, Anthony, and Marie all belong to me. And Do does my newest character~))

_**Chapter 5: Officer Marcus Revis **_

_Calling all cars, calling all cars. It seems as if we're having riots started by groups of violent protestors throughout the entire city. If you see a protestor, be prepared to protect yourself. They are to be considered extremely hostile and may attack on contact. _"Yeah, you could've warned us a bit earlier, you dumb bitch!" An officer shouted, yelling at the radio. Two police cars were pushed together in the middle of the street, acting as a makeshift barricade for four officers already caught in an altercation with 'them'.

"Calm down, Revis! At least other officers are now warned about this problem!" said his partner, a young woman a bit calmer than he. The two were firing rounds at any one of 'them' who seemed to get close to them. At the car next to them were an older man, most likely a veteran officer, and his wounded partner, who was putting as much pressure as he could on what was left of his left hand. The young officer was screaming in pain and sitting on the ground, back against the car.

"We have an officer down! I repeat we have an officer down! Please send any back up you can!" said the veteran into his radio, still attempting to get off a good shot at his oncoming assailants. There were no responses coming in, and even he himself was finding the situation frustrating. "Dammit! I don't think we're going to get any back up." The veteran seemed to be getting very upset.

"Revis… Baker… I want you two to leave now. I'll try to hold these…things off as long as I can. You two are still very young, and I know you have a baby daughter at home, don't you Revis?" Revis just nodded at his superior. "Sergeant Reynolds… are you sure you want us to go? Our job is to protect and serve… and to leave now would be the wrong thi…"

"I said go!" He shouted, as he headed to the back of the car. The officer opened up the trunk, and pulled out a riot shotgun and a box of shells. "I'm not going to tell you again." Officer Revis and Officer Baker nodded at Reynolds, and got back into their squad car. The two took off in the opposite direction of the oncoming horde, hopefully to find a safer place to go.

Reynolds stayed behind, easily taking out any of 'them' that would get to close to him. He pumped his shotgun again and again, until it finally ran out of ammunition. He quickly whipped out his handgun, and began shooting until his magazine was nearly out. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his thigh. The rookie had just ripped a huge chunk out of his calf. He fired two rounds into the young officer's head, splattering his brain on the pavement below. And it dawned on Reynolds. His fate would soon be the same. He aimed the gun at his head, and pulled his wallet so he could se his wife and teenage daughter one last time. "I'm sorry." He said, as he pulled the trigger.

As for Revis and Baker, the two of them were driving down the streets of Manhattan, staring at all the chaos that had been caused by these monsters. Blood and gore covered the streets. "It's disgusting," Baker said, looking at all the carnage. Revis took a left at the next light they passed, despite it being red. Every street looked exactly the same. People screaming, cluttered heaps of metal and fire from car crashes. It was absolutely horrible. But Revis and Baker kept on driving, upset that there wasn't much they could still do to help 'Protect and Serve'.

"Revis, look out!" Baker screamed at him suddenly. Revis stopped paying attention to his door window, and noticed an oncoming city bus plowing through wrecks heading towards their squad car. Revis made a sharp left, bet still managed to get clipped by the bus. Their car was headed straight for a lamp post, and the next thing Revis knew, he was out cold.

Revis awoke an hour or so later, with a pounding headache and a bad case of whiplash. "Gah… Baker, are you alright? Baker?" Revis turned to his side, only to see that Baker's body wasn't there. In a rush earlier, she had forgotten to put on her seatbelt, and was launcher out of the car during the crash. What was left of her chewed up body was about fifteen feet ahead of him. He walked over to her mourned for a moment over his dead partner.

But sadly now was too dangerous of a time to mourn for this loss. He took her gun, her left over magazine, and looked out in front of him. He was in front of the local high school. Zombies were everywhere, just walking around. He was lucky to have remembered his seatbelt back there, because essentially it saved him from the same fate as Baker. Revis was now without his car or his partner. What was left of the little hope he had was drained. All he could really do now was head into the school and hopefully hold 'them' off for as long as he could.

Meanwhile, on top of the same building Officer Revis was now walking into, Anthony Joshua and Marie were still trying to think of a way to get out of the school alive. Joshua was leaning on the railing, when he noticed a police officer running into the building. Wait… running? The fact that he was running and not limping meant that this guy might still be alive! "Guys! Guys! I think I figured it out!" Anthony and Marie turned to their friend. "Oh really? Then share the idea with us." Anthony replied to him. "Come over here and look for yourselves. There's a cop down there. And he's alive."

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**((AN: I know it's been a while… a REALLY LONG while, and this chapter was really uneventful, but some things have been going on recently, and I've been trying to keep up with a few other things from a few website forums I'm apart of. But I was finally able to finish this. ))**


	6. The Rescue

(Disclaimer for the Series: I don't own any part of the High School of the Dead franchise. Any of the characters seen in this story belong to me, and I reserve all the rights to them.)

**((AN: Oh. My. God. I LOVED The HOTD anime. And it had rejuvenated me. After 9 long months of my indefinite hiatus, I have decided to write up a new chapter. And well, I'm sorry it took so long. Summer was very busy. And I have no real excuse for February to June, next to laziness. D: ))**

**Chapter 6: Escape**

"Guys! Guys! I think I figured it out!" Joshua was calling over to his two friends (well the only ones alive) Anthony and Marie from the railing. "Oh really?" Anthony replied. "Then share the idea with us." Anthony replied to him. "Come over here and look for yourselves. There's a cop down there. And he's alive." The two stopped what they were doing and headed over to where Joshua was standing. He was right. In the middle of the school parking lot was a man standing up straight, and actually _running _towards the school. But, was he smart enough to know how to make it to them in time? Or, did he even know they were up there? "We have to make a signal of some sort, or else he might pass us by," Anthony said to the group. It made sense. Anthony and Marie went to look for anything, a light or some matches a student or teacher left up on the roof, but they found nothing. While they continued searching, Joshua had an Idea of his own.

"HEY! UP HERE! CAN YOU HEAR US DOWN THERE?" Joshua was yelling at the top if his lungs in order to get the attention of the police officer. First of all, that was generally a bad idea. As you all know,**'They'**are attracted to sound. Any Site of them within a three block radius had now heard the sound of a teenager shouting, **'They'** were going to start heading in the direction of his voice. Anthony right away hit Josh in the back of the head in order to scold him. "Josh you idiot! What were you thinking! Look!" he said, pointing out to the parking lot. "They had all turned towards the school, and were heading for the front door. However, on the slightly brighter side, Officer Revis had taken notice of them and waved upwards to signal that he noticed and was willing to help. He then ran into the school, and locked the door behind him,

The lobby was empty, and covered in a fresh coat of crimson. Bloody handprints were on the walls and the lockers, and the officer held his handgun tightly. As he walked forward, his footsteps echoed across the empty halls. All seemed quiet… a little _too_ quiet. "Now, let's see…" He whispered to himself as he walked down the hall, alone. "The school, if I remember, is only four floors high. I just need to be careful until the stairs." As the officer rounded the corner, he noticed that the door to the stairs was blocked by four of **'Them'** feasting on a victim. The young teacher's entrails were splattered across the floor as **'they'** enjoyed their meal. With no way to get past, he needed to think fast. On the floor was a sneaker, with well… a foot still attached to it. Visibly grossed out, Officer Revis grabbed it at threw it regardless of how repulsed he was by it. He hit a locker, which let out a sound that attracted **'them'** in a direction away from the door. He hurried up the stairwell as far as he could, until he noticed that the third floor was barricaded. Stuck on the second floor, he had to maneuver his way to the staircase nearly 130 yards to the left of him. In the hallway to the next staircase stood around six or seven of **'those',** just waiting for the next sound. And the door opening was the loudest sound **'they'** happened to have heard in quite a while. But what now? There was nothing to throw this time around, and there was no way he could take on seven of **'them'** by himself. He had to think fast. What could he do?

Back on the roof, the kids sat around waiting for the officer to come save them. Minutes passed, but with nothing to do on the roof but play catch, impatience began to take its toll. "God, what is taking him so long? This really bites, you know?" Josh said, hurling the ball over to Anthony. Anthony tossed it back. "I don't know. You want to go look for him? I'm fine with waiting." Marie wasn't too far from them, sitting against the door where they all entered. "Anthony, I'm becoming a bit scared, too. It's been a long time. What if he's been eaten?" She curled uptight, and looked down at her shoes. The catch went on in silence for a while, until Anthony decided to stop. "Well, you two seem like you want to go check. Only problem is that Josh doesn't have anything to defend himself with. You have a knife, Marie and I have my bat. But that's all. I'm not sure using a baseball is a smart choice, as you told us that it had little effect before." That's when Josh spotted it. "That's not entirely true. Look, someone left a toolbox over there." He was right. A faded red toolbox was sitting on the ground the entire time, and no one noticed it until now. Josh opened it and took out two screwdrivers and a large wrench. "I can use these for now." Anthony was still uncertain. ""Are you two sure you want to go look for the cop?" Joshua gave him the thumbs up in approval and Marie nodded slightly. "All right then, let's head down."

Anthony, being the eldest and physically strongest, lead the way followed by Marie in the middle and Joshua guarding the rear. The group headed down the staircase to the third floor, where **'they'** littered the halls. It was definitely upsetting to see what all their classmates had become, so the turned quickly down the staircase to the second floor. None were in plain sight until they turned the hall. There stood about six or seven of them heading down the hall to none other than the police officer from earlier. He had his night stick in one hand and a handgun in the other, obviously ready for combat. "We should help him. Right now," Anthony said to Joshua. Joshua nodded and smiled. "You just read my mind." The two dashed down the hall, and taking **'Them' **by surprise, bashed the closest two over the head subduing them instantly. The odds were now four-on-four, instead of the original seven-on-one. As swiftly as their assault started, the seven of **'them' **was reduced to a quick and bloody zero, and the four were now all together. "Officer Revis, reporting for duty. It seems you three needed some help. I'm glad I could be of assistance." He said to them politely. Joshua smiled and Marie was finally relieved, until Anthony posed Revis with a question. "Thank you for saving us and all, but how are we supposed to escape if **'they'** are all blocking the front door?"


	7. Okay, Time for Plan B

(Disclaimer for the Series: I don't own any part of the High School of the Dead franchise. Any of the characters seen in this story belong to me, and I reserve all the rights to them.)

**((AN: As a few other people might be doing, I have recently been raging at how apparently, Chapter 29 was excluded from the February issue of the magazine that it's a part of. And well, I decided that I would write a chapter instead of procrastinating like the Satos. I mean, seriously. How can you not write a 30 page chapter in 2 months? Is it that hard?))**

**Chapter 7: Okay, Time for Plan B **

With the realization that the parking lot in front of the school was undoubtedly swarming with **'them'**, the group quickly needed to think of another way out of the school and onto the streets outside. Although not the safest idea, it was better than waiting to die in the school. "First of all, we need a safe place to think. This hallway is long and echoes easily. We should find a classroom or somewhere to sit down," Anthony said to the group. Joshua was quick to agree, and Officer Revis and Marie nodded as well. The four headed down the hall, peering into every classroom they passed along the way, searching for an empty, or clean one.

Eventually they ended up in the computer lab, which seemed to be empty. Everyone took a chair and met up in the middle of the room. The discussion on how to get out of the building started with ideas here and there. "What about the gym?" Marie exclaimed. "No, it's too risky. Gym classes start early in the morning, and there will definitely be a lot of **'them' **wandering that way." Anthony said. "Why not head for the Wood Shop room? I'm sure we can find a few weapons in there to take along with us." Joshua suggested. "Yeah, but those aren't cordless. And even if they weren't, they're noisy. I'm not sure how **'their'** senses work, but I'm pretty sure power tools will attract more. Finally, Marie came up with something. "Earlier, I managed to climb up to the roofby way of the fire escape. None of **'them' **followed me up, so I think **'they' **don't have the dexterity to climb." Anthony smiled just a bit. "That might actually work. And from there, we can just try to get across the street and work our way after that." Once again, Joshua was quick to agree.

Officer Revis was okay with the plan. He just had to ask something else. "All right, so we have our escape plan. Now here's the other important question: Do we establish a leader? Or do we work as a leaderless team?" The teens remained silent, thinking of an answer for the cop. Finally Joshua spoke up. "Coach always told us that Anthony had an aura to him that made him look like a natural leader. I say we choose him." Anthony stopped him after he said that. "Josh, he was talking about my leadership on the field, not like charisma." Josh shook his head in response. "Does it matter? So far, you were able to lead us and save Revis' life over here, and took charge earlier when we were searching for a safe room. I think that at least qualifies you for the leadership job." Marie nodded. "I agree with Joshua. You may not see it in yourself, but you are a strong leader, Anthony."

"And if the two of them agree, I don't see why I should get in your way. As for now, I believe we all agree that you are our temporary leader. As long as things stay stable, you take charge, alright?" Revis smiled and went to shake Anthony's hand. Anthony was reluctant at first, but agreed after a sigh. He was now in charge, and as a result now had a bigger responsibility in this mayhem: He had to save his friends. "Oh! Uhm, Anthony. I have one last request?" Joshua asked his good friend. Yeah, what is it?" "Do you mind if I go to the bathroom before we head back to the fire escape on the roof?" Anthony was uncertain. "You sure you can't hold it in? You don't know what could be lurking in there." Joshua bit his lip. "Yeah, I'm 100% sure. I need to piss, now!"

Joshua ran out of the room and across the hall to the men's room. He ran to the closest urinal and quickly did his business. As he stood there, he noticed the blood on the walls, and the sound of scratching. Something was there. He knew it. He hurried up and went over to the sink to wash his hands. As he washed, the stall behind him opened up and one of '**them' **crept out. Josh noticed it in the mirror and grabbed his wrench. As he spun to hit it, he heard the sound of a gun fire and hit his assailant in the head. Marcus was there to save his life. But the sound of the gunfire began to echo through the hallway, and the sound of **'their' **roars became loud and clear. The two ran out of the bathroom, where Marie and Anthony were waiting for them. "Okay guys, time for Plan B! Head up the stairs, now!" Anthony shouted, as the gang ran down the hallway to the stairs. From the window they could see a large number of **'them'** came rushing up the stairs, and Marcus and Josh locked the large metals doors, as well as taking the first thing they saw and placing it in between the handles. They then ran to the other side of the hall and headed to the other staircase. It was here that the staircase between the first and second floors was barricaded, but there was still enough room to see that **'they' **were desperately trying to break through.

The four heroes then headed up the stairs to the third floor, where **'they' **were desperately trying to push open a pull door. "Thank god that **'they'** are stupid, huh?" Joshua said to his allies, as they rushed to the rooftop. After everyone made it to the top, Anthony quickly locked the door behind them, ensuring at least one last line of defense. "Everyone, take a moment to catch your breath. Once you're all okay, we're leaving this place for good." The group quickly recovered, and Anthony looked down where the fire escape was. There were a few of **'them' **scattered around the floor, but not enough to be considered a hazard. "Alright, who's going first?" Joshua raised his hand. "I'll go. I'm not going to let **'them'** intimidate me." Anthony nodded to him, as he let Josh get to the ladder. He slowly descended down to the ground, where he quietly headed into the brush. "Okay Marie, you go next. Then Officer Revis, and I'll go last." They agreed and followed orders. But around the time Revis was halfway down, the door to the roof was started to bust loose. With no time to spare, Anthony headed down the ladder just as the door popped open. After a minute, he and Revis reached the ground. They four ran across the street and into an open convenience store. The place was ransacked, but there was no sign of **'them' **in the store. Joshua closed the door and locked it, as a sigh of relief and smiles came across the survivor's faces.


	8. Bios and Whatnot

**Bios and Whatnot**

**((AN: Okay, this is basically a buffer where I help out on the creative mind by giving images of each of the characters. I'm still working on my newest chapter, and I'll try to get it up by President's week.))**

Name: Anthony Ramirez  
Age: 18  
Height: 6'5"  
Weight: 195 lbs.

Personality: Anthony is a popular student at his high school, or should I say "was", until the incident occurred. Being such a big guy, most of the new students pegged Anthony as the bullying type, but he was actually a friendly and helpful guy. Anthony was also the baseball teams captain and catcher, as well as wrestling during the off season. Anthony is a patient and incredibly smart person, having the highest score in the schools SAT history, only 100 points short of a perfect score. Anthony is or "was" on his way to become a cardio surgeon, or a doctor that works on the heart until the first day of the End of the World occurred.

Appearance: Being of Spanish descent, Anthony's skin is naturally tanned and is decently dark. His jaw is strong and it ends in a pointed chin. His eyes are a deep brown. Anthony's hair hangs down to the back of his neck and in front of his eyes, it is black in color. Standing at six-five, Anthony has sturdy build that sets the tone for the rest or the group. Antony was wearing a striped button up shirt, black strips with a white background, under this he has on a muscle shirt and a pair of blue jeans that are somewhat baggy. His shoes are reebok running shoes.

Biography: Originally from New Mexico, Anthony's family decided to move to New York City, New York a few years after Anthony's birth. He was raised with good morals and the difference between right and wrong and to always choose the right way. During the past three years of high school, Anthony has volunteered to work at the local hospital as an assistant and janitor. The job not only earned him money, but also allowed him to work close to the profession he was pursuing. Anthony was at school when he first encountered the undead.  
Entering Melee Weapon: Baseball Bat, a couple of very useless fireworks, but has no lighter or matches.

Statistics (out of 20)  
Strength: 17  
Speed: 9  
Intelligence: 14  
Stamina: 17  
Special Talents: Has two  
1. Clean-Up Hitter: Being the clean-up hitter for the high school's baseball team means that he swings his bat hard and fast. Giving him any blunt object with the same length and weight of a bat, such as a lead pipe, you can guarantee a home run with every swing.

2. Wrestling: Next to playing baseball, Anthony was a wrestler on the school's wrestling team. If he finds himself in a jam, her has more strength than the others and can hold off one of "them" for a bit longer if they" try to bite him. Also, he can duplex zombies in desperation.

* * *

Name: Marie Arquette  
Age: 17  
Height: 5'4"  
Weight: 115 lbs.

Personality: Quiet and soft spoken, Marie is an independent soul who has learned to survive the rigors of life without her family. Abandoned at a young age, she left the orphanage she lived in with the knowledge that she can depend only on herself. But despite that resolution, she is a sweet soul given to charitable fancies and tender moments—filling that dearth of happiness that she was forced to accept as reality.

Appearance: Marie's deep-set violet eyes and lush red lips add to her inherent motherly charm. Her face, framed by long brown locks, making her look too fresh and inexperienced belies the strength of character and maturity that resides within her lithe and gentle frame. Her hands, though dainty, has seen much hard work in an orphanage where chores were routine and very much necessary. Her slim legs though sturdy still retain its grace when she walks. Her bust is a rather average C, unlike those of HotD fame, yet he appeal lies not in her looks, but her character.

Biography: Living in an adoption house taught Marie to survive. She often worked the kitchens hauling water and cleaning the dishes until she learned how to cook. And cook she did. Her dishes were gleaned from the books she has read, and though it doesn't taste quite the same (because of the lack of funds to get the proper ingredients) it was a treat for the senses. All these she learned in the kitchen of the orphanage, substituting spices and creating taste while not neglecting nutrition.

This has also taught her the use of a knife since in the kitchen, the most valuable tool that a chef or a cook could ever have is that of the bladed variety. She had no idea that the same could be true for surviving in a city of the dead.

Entering Melee Weapon: Kitchen knife

Statistics (out of 20)  
Strength: 6  
Speed: 11  
Intelligence: 17  
Stamina: 10

Special Talents: Has three  
1. Culinary Expertise: Marie spent a lot of her free time in the orphanage learning how to cook form the head chef, as well as experimenting with her own recipes. She can make even the most bland-looking food seem amazing, effectively curing appetites and raising morales.  
2. Knife mastery: Since she has spent so much time honing her skills with a knife, she can effectively protect herself with her current weapon of choice rather effectively.

* * *

Name: Joshua Webb  
Age: 16  
Height: 6'0"  
Weight: 163 lbs.

Personality: Joshua is the young gun of the baseball team, in meaning that he was able to make varsity during his sophomore year. He is the Ace of the pitching staff, as well as a right fielder and a first baseman. He was a pretty popular guy, and even dated a cheerleader for a while before the infection began. He can come off as cocky and brash, but he turns into a different person around his friends. His comedic ways often help calm down his allies and keep them from panicking under immense stress.

Appearance: Joshua is of Irish-American descent, and has dark brown hair, with bleached bangs in the font. He has a decent build, but he likes to take it easy more than going to the Gym. He normally has poor eyesight and is usually seen wearing his contacts more than his glasses, in order to show off his bold and bright hazel eyes. His real strength comes from his legs, which are as fast as they are strong.

Biography: Joshua is the son of a detective father and a chiropractor mother. He is known across America as a Baseball Prodigy, and is being scouted by the Mets as a possible prospect. However, he gets good grades, and his parents want him to become a lawyer. However, he wishes to become a Major League pitcher, and match the skill of his distant cousin, Brandon.

Entering Melee Weapon: Baseball, Fire extinguisher, Wrench

Statistics (out of 20)  
Strength: 11  
Speed: 20  
Intelligence: 12  
Stamina: 11

Special Talents: Has three  
1. Powerful Pitch and Accuracy: As a prodigal pitcher, he can throw up to speeds of 90 mph tops, which can help while creating distractions and even doing a bit of damage. But when pitching, he seems to be more of finesse pitcher than a power, due to his superb pitching control.

2. Stealth/Movement: His base-stealing skills have also helped his footsteps sound even lighter than usual, allowing him to move around without making much noise. It also gives him a great sliding skill and judge of distance, making him an effective scout in their current journey for survival.

3. Amateur Marksman: Being that his father is a detective, Joshua knows how to handle a gun better than Marie and Anthony. His shot is more accurate than theirs, but not nearly as good as Officer Revis. He can handle handguns well, but isn't so sure about anything larger than that.

* * *

Name: Officer Marcus Revis  
Age: 24  
Height: 6'2"  
Weight: 171 lbs.

Personality: Revis is a kind-hearted man who was regarded highly in the police station he is stationed at. He grew up in a tough neighborhood and as a result is very strong mentally. Growing up he went to the same high school as our younger protagonists, and played football there as a strong safety as well as running track. His family couldn't afford for him to college, and he joined a police academy instead. He is an honest cop who doesn't take bribes, and is very smart, book wise as well as street wise.

Appearance: Revis is African-American, and has brown eyes and black hair. His head is shaved and he has a moustache. His has a strong build and is rather tall. He is currently wearing his police officer suit.

Biography: Marcus is the third of five boys in his family. Being the middle child, he didn't receive as much attention as his brothers at home, but made up for it at school, being a kind smart and popular student. Now that he is out of school, his optimistic attitude and strong work ethic garners a lot of positive attention at the station. He lives in an apartment with his fiancée.

Entering Weapons: Police baton, 92F Beretta pistol

Statistics (out of 20)  
Strength: 12  
Speed: 16  
Intelligence: 13  
Stamina: 16

Special Talents: Has two  
1. Sprinting: As a former track star, Revis' stamina and speed allow him to run for a long time at a high speed, giving him a large speed advantage over the zombies. Although he isn't as fast as Josh, he can run for longer at a slower pace.

2. Police Officer: Being a police officer, Revis is trained in both the use of handguns and shotguns with good accuracy.


	9. Temporary Shelter

(Disclaimer for the Series: I don't own any part of the High School of the Dead franchise. Any of the characters seen in this story belong to me, and I reserve all the rights to them.)

**((AN: OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MAN. The new chapter was interesting. Saya actually killed something! And we met Rei's mom. Though, for 4 months, I was hoping for a bit… more? And of you watch the anime, more specifically the dub, you would notice it was a decent dub, save for one huge problem: THEY TURNED SAEKO INTO A VALLEY GIRL. WTF. But yeah, School, job, friendship, drama. That's my excuse this time. Okay, well let's hope this chapter is good.))**

**Chapter 8: Temporary Shelter**

_When we last saw our heroes, they had managed to escape the hellish imprisonment of their high school, as well as gaining a new ally. They now find themselves behind the locked doors of a convenience store just across the street. What's in store for them next? Who knows? Well, I do… but besides me, who knows? Read on to find out!_

March 23rd. 1:36 P.M. Six and one-half hours into the outbreak. Survivors: Four Location: AJ's Delicatessen. Status: Hungry.

It was very shady inside the convenience store. The blinds were pulled down over the large windows in front of the shop, and a heavy shelf was placed in front of the door, acting as a final barrier between the survivors, and **'them'**. The lights seemed to flicker on and off every few moments, and the group was spread across the large room. Anthony was sitting near the blind, keeping an eye outside to see how many of **'them' **were around. His stomach was growling. But at a crucial time like this, hunger was the last thing on his mind. Close by him sat Officer Revis, fiddling with his two guns.

Across the room, over near all the refrigerators sat Joshua, who found himself chugging a 2 liter bottle of Coca-Cola, for the soul fact that he could. When he had called around loudly in the store for service, no one answered him. This silence, however, led to a smile as he realized that no one could stop him from shoplifting the store. No, Joshua wasn't a kelpto; the only thing he ever really stole was a few bases every year during baseball season. But he had always wanted to steal. He found himself stuffing the pockets of his white and red striped hoodie with Twinkies, Yankee Doodles, and any other Hostess snack he could find he then walked over to the fridges and took out two large bottles of soda and sat on the ground, enjoying his feast of sponge cakes and soda pop.

Then finally there was Marie. She found herself standing behind the counter of the deli, looking at all the meats, salads, breads and condiments. She could tell by looking at her friends that they were all hungry and disheartened. Marie wasn't strong like Anthony, nor was she fast like Joshua. She didn't have weapons training like Officer Revis. All she had with her was her knife. She felt rather useless among her friends. _'Why am I still alive? Why did they decide to take me along? I can't do anything. I'm useless.' _As Marie pondered all of this, a sound gave her an idea. It was the growl of a hungry stomach. _'Maybe…'_ she thought to herself.

"Uh…uhm, Anthony? Would you like anything to eat?" Anthony noticed that his stomach was growling rather loudly, and smiled. "Yes please, Marie. I'm starving!" Joshua soon ran over to her and chirped in that he couldn't sit around and eat junk all day, and Revis asked politely for something to eat too. The dark, depressed feeling that Marie felt in the room not less than four minutes ago seemed to brighten up. She smiled as she opened the door to the back room. "Well, I'm going to go into the back to see if there are any fresh rolls-"

A dead body. On the floor not more than a few yards away laid the corpse of a man with his face clear blown off by a double-barrel shotgun. She went to scream, but Joshua hand found itself clasped over her mouth before she could make a sound. "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh… **'they'** are still outside, remember?" She was scared. Incredibly scared. She quickly turned around and buried her face into Joshua's should, sobbing a bit. Joshua patted her on the back, and just whispered to her, "There, there… calm down, okay? I'll go get those rolls you were looking for, all right?" She nodded into his shoulder, and let go of him while he went into the back.

A few minutes later he opened the door, coming out with a few bags of bread in his hands. His sleeves on his hoodie were rolled up, and his arms were covered with blood. "Here's the bread you asked for, Marie. If you'll excuse me…" He walked over to the sink and began scrubbing off the blood from his arms. Marie, curious of why he was covered in blood, opened the door again to see that body wasn't there anymore. _' He moved that man… for me.'_ Marie walked up to Joshua. "Th-thank you Joshua. Thank you for being such a nice guy." Joshua looked at her and smiled. "It was no big deal, really. He was a bit heavy, is all. Which reminds me…" He turned to the two other by the window. "That man who worked here had a double barrel. I looked around to see if there were any extra shells back there, but the only box was empty. I'm assuming he didn't go out like a bitch."

Things went on after that rather slowly. Marie took her time putting together a nice lunch for everyone, and the spirits of the group seemed to be lifted. As they ate, Anthony brought up an important question. "You all do know we can't stay here forever, right? There's only so much time we have until the food runs out. Besides, the smell of the corpse in the back, coupled with any cold cuts we don't finish will become nauseating." Joshua took a large bite of his sandwich, and posed a response to their appointed leader. "Alright then, when should we leave?" Anthony stopped eating. He looked at each of them with a serious look in his eyes. "It's like 2:20 now, right? We're leaving tonight."


	10. Run Like Hell

(Disclaimer for the Series: I don't own any part of the High School of the Dead franchise. Any of the characters seen in this story belong to me, and I reserve all the rights to them.)

**((AN: OMG! Hahahahahaha! The HOTD dub is friggin' hilarious. It was decent at first, but at some points it gets ridiculously stupid and it's like they re-wrote a few of the characters. I can't think of what's funnier: the dub or the Abridged series. Oh man. Well, it's time for the next chapter. It took me a while to think of a good idea, but I got one!))**

**Chapter 9: Run Like Hell**

_In the last chapter, we found out that the group was locked up in a Deli, taking a break from the madness. While in the deli, a faint bond has formed between Marie and Joshua. And now, the group hopes to travel under at night in hopes that the night will allow them to move easier. What will happen next? Read on to see!_

March 23rd. 8:27 P.M. Thirteen and one-half hours into the outbreak. Survivors: Four Location: AJ's Delicatessen. Status: Hungry.

The sun had just finished setting in New York, and the moon and stars began to glisten in the sky. None of the streetlights were on, and outside the building was pitch black. A few low glowing lights came from a row of candles that the group had found in the store. While searching, they managed to find flashlights, which they decided would be for use outside to help them navigate. Anthony and Revis were standing by the door, with Revis awaiting for the sign from the appointed leader signifying when he should open the door. Behind them stood Joshua and Marie, who found herself holding on to Josh's sleeve. Joshua himself was suffering a minor anxiety attack while waiting.

Using one of the flashlights, Anthony looked out the window to see if the coast was clear. Well, clear enough for their group to get a fast getaway. "I don't see why we're leaving here. Could someone explain WHY we're leaving a safe building with tons of food and drinks?" Joshua exclaimed to the group. Anthony quickly answered him. "To give you an answer that would actually get you to agree… the power is out. And without power, the food will begin to spoil. And I'm pretty sure you don't want to be around rotting meat and spoiled milk, now do you." Joshua nodded his head and sighed. "I guess so…" Suddenly, Anthony gave the sign. Revis opened the door with Anthony not too far behind, soon followed by Marie and Joshua covering the rear.

Anthony shined his light ahead at two of **'them'**, and noticed that the bright light seemed not to bother them. He and Revis quickly moved towards them and cracked **'their'** heads in a sneak attack. The bodies dropped instantly, and Anthony gave the thumbs up to both Josh and Marie. "It seems like they don't really respond to light. I guess it would be a good assumption that their sense of sight is terrible," Revis whispered over to Anthony. "Or possibly non-existent," Anthony quickly responded. The four walked quietly down the street, making sure to prevent a single sound from being made. At the end of the street, however, was a road-block, of sorts. Anthony shone his light ahead, to reveal a pack of **'them'** huddled around a corpse, ripping is apart and devouring its innards. With the road cut off in front of them, Anthony and Officer Revis began to shine their lights at the buildings around them, hoping to find an alley way to go down. Just barely after they began their search, Anthony's shoulder was tapped as the young officer had found them a path to head down. Anthony pointed his light at Marie and Joshua, signaling for them to come over.

The four stood by the alleyway's opening, and Anthony quickly whispered the plan as short and sweet as he could. "Here. Revis, Joshua, Marie, Me." The words were just enough to make everyone realize who would go down there and in what order. They followed the plan, with Revis and his light leading as Anthony and his light watched their backs. The alleyway wasn't too large, and the smell was pretty rank. Trash cans and dumpsters lined the sides, but it looked like none of **'them' **were down this way. The area they entered was certainly a very risky option, but what other ways did they have? They couldn't exactly go past the group of **'them'** in the middle of the street; for fear that one sound would cause all of **'them'** to swarm in on the survivors.

As the group headed down the alley, it became apparent that they may have chosen a wrong choice. They had two paths ahead of them: One locked by a large gate in front of them, and another to the right that lead back into the street. Though no of them could actually see over by the street, it was a fear of what could be there that made the group think that choice over. But what could they do? It was either the group climbed the gate and prayed **'they' **don't hear, or face the unknown of the street and hope for the best. The group huddled up in order to make their decision. Anthony looked at each of them, and said, "Well, which way do we choose?"

**((AN: I was thinking to make it more interesting, I'd let people decide which path they'd travel down next. Makes things more interactive.))**


	11. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

(Disclaimer for the Series: I don't own any part of the High School of the Dead franchise. Any of the characters seen in this story belong to me, and I reserve all the rights to them.)

**((AN: So I'm looking around at all the other HOTD fanfics with original characters, and I think to myself… 'Hey Irv182, maybe in the future, somewhere in the story when your people are safe… maybe you should ask one of the fellow authors out there if they want to make a fun, A/U collaboration story?' I think it'd be fun, with two or more creative minds working together like that.))**

**Chapter 10: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark**

_Last chapter was left at a crossroads of sorts, with our surviving four stuck with two paths to choose in order to get to a safer location than their current status. In front of them is a large chain link fence with a door on in, though it is padlocked shut. To their right is an alleyway which leads to a seemingly empty looking area of the street._

March 23rd. 8:55 P.M. 14 hours into the outbreak. Survivors: Four. Location: Alleyway in between two streets. Status: Indecisive.

"Well, which way do we choose?" Anthony asked the group. The four survivors stood in the middle of thin, dark and putrid smelling alleyway. Garbage and mold littered the cracks of the stone floor, and the odor of the alleyway smelt of rotting fruit and urine. But even that was a pleasant smell as compared to the distinct smell of human decomposition. Anthony's nose twitched as he tried to slowly breathe in the disgusting air.

"I say we go over the gate over there," Joshua said, pointing to the large fence in front of them. Anthony shook his head in disagreement. "That might make too much noise. **'They' **would swarm us easily. Not to mention that the fence is not only high, but only wide enough for two of us to climb over at a time. It's too risky." Joshua took a short moment to process this, and frowned not too far after. "I guess you're right… But that only leave two choices: Going back or going to the right." Anthony began scratching his chin, thinking about it. "Should we try to go down the way to the right? I mean, there's nothing for us if we go back."

"There's shelter," Joshua protested. "There's food… drink… and a place where we can feel safe." Anthony shook his head once again. "We've already had this argument. There's also a lot of deli meat, not to mention all the dairy products. Without power, it will only take days before that shop reeks of the odor of spoiled milk and rotting meat. Are you okay with that?" He was right, and Joshua knew it. But that's why he was in charge, and not Joshua. Anthony was intelligent, charismatic, and courageous. That's why he was captain of the wrestling team, as well as the baseball team.

"I'm okay with going down the alleyway," Officer Revis said to Anthony. Marie quickly nodded in agreement. The only thing holding them back was the vote from Joshua. "Joshua… are you still unsure?" Anthony asked him. Joshua just shook his head to Anthony. "No… let's go down the alleyway. We have nothing to lose, right?" Anthony gave him a sort of half smile, and nodded. "Exactly. Revis, Joshua, Marie, Then me. Let's go."

The four headed down the alleyway in the exact order given to them by their leader, where they suddenly stopped. Revis and Joshua saw something jump in front of them across the opening of the alleyway, and stopped dead in their tracks. "What the HELL was that?" Joshua nearly yelled, trying hard not to attract **'them'**. "I-it had to be a trash bag. **'They'** can't jump… right? **'They'** can barely stand or walk straight, so we shouldn't worry…" The two just looked at each other, and slowly crept up to the edge of the alleyway.

Revis shone his light toward the way where the object had flown, only for them to see nothing. In two different ways, this was definitely a good sign; on one hand, there was nothing there. That includes none of **'them'**. On the other hand… there's a possibility that there are no 'special infected' from Left 4 Dead in this world. With the realization that there were alone, if not only for a little bit, the group carried on, using Revis' flashlight as their only light of salvation forward in this pitch dark, apocalyptic hell.

The street in front of them looked to be completely empty. However, one could never be too cautious; especially in an apocalyptic situation such as this. There was an eerie silence that accompanied the walk through the street, with an occasional clanging of a trash can or the sound of a gust of wind whistling by. That, paired with the thought that the group had really no place to actually stay was disheartening.

A few blocks passed them by, with an occasional sign of **'them'** being around. Things became more visible with the additions of burning cars giving off a glow of light. It was getting rather late, and the four of them were getting tired. What they really needed was to find a place to rest for at least one night; whether it was a car, a van, or even an abandoned bus. As they stood in the middle of an intersection, Joshua attempted to read the sign to see where they were; however due to his poor eyesight coupled with the darkness, it was pointless. "Anthony, if you would…would you telling me where we are?" He asked, pointing to the street sign. Anthony shone his light over at the direction Joshua pointed, and read the sign to him. "We're at the intersection of 37th and 23rd," he replied.

Joshua gave off a small smirk. "Okay, good. Then we're not too far from a place I believe might be pretty safe." Anthony shrugged. "Oh really, how about clueing us in?" Joshua nodded back to him. "Just follow me. Trust me, we'll be fine." He took Revis' flashlight and led the group two more blocks down the street, and suddenly stopped in front of a store. "Here we are guys." The three others looked up at the building, with Anthony shining his light at the sign above. "Joshua, this is a Laundromat," Marie said to him. "That might be true, but…" He said, walking over to the door. He opened the door and walked inside. "The owner never locks the door. That and it had manual storefront gates. Astor whether or not there are some of **'them'** in here, he never seems to open his store on certain days. And today happens to be one of them." Revis smiled at the boy. "I suppose you've done this before, Joshua?" Joshua shook his head. "No, but my dad is a detective. And he taught me how to observe everything around me. Told me one day some information might come in handy. I guess I was lucky this time. Now everyone, hurry up inside. We don't have all night." The group then walked into the Laundromat, and locked the door behind them. They set up all the storefront gates, and sighed a bit in relief. They were safe, at least for tonight. But who knows how lucky they'd be in the future?

**((AN: I don't think I have much to say at this portion. Well, other than 'Thank you' to all the loyal readers. I know I update sporadically, but you guys have kept reading. Thanks, guys and girls. You're the reason I haven't given up on this story yet.))**


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